Guide Note

The Egyptian Book of the Dead is an ancient funerary text, also known as The Book of Coming or Going Forth by Day. It later was adapted and became known as The Book of Breathings. It contains information on the Ancient Egyptians understanding of death and the spells, passwords and clues used by them for safe passage into the afterlife. The general practice was to place the book within the coffin or tomb of the deceased individual.

Fast Facts

1. Select texts were published by German Egyptologist Karl Richard Lepsius in 1842
2. Versions date back to 16th Century BC
3. Standardized during the Saite recension
4. Each version was individualized and no 2 were ever the same
5. Wealth and status was a determining factor in the quality of the book received
6. The Papyrus of Ani, was 78 ft long and separated into 37 chapter sheets

From the Old Kingdom to the Middle Kingdom, the book went through a process of change, starting with the Pyramid Texts and evolving into the Coffin Texts.

The Pyramid Texts was a scripture carved into walls and sarcophagi of the pyramids located in Saqqara. Unlike its successor, the Pyramid text was intended solely for the Pharaohs and did not contain any illustrations.

The Coffin Texts began being implemented in the First Intermediate Period and were an expansion of the Pyramid Texts. The texts were still written on the coffins of the deceased, but passage to the afterlife was no longer limited to the Pharaohs. Commoners could now afford to purchase coffins thereby granting them access to the funerary spells contained within the book.

Throughout the New Kingdom the book was not standardized or organized in any way. It wasn't until the Saite recension that the book was standardized into chapters, from one to 169.